Problem: My partner is a massive sports fan, but I don’t want the house to be overrun with memorabilia

Football posters, basketball jerseys and signed hockey sticks are great in a dorm room, but not so much in your new home’s living room. If sports are an important part of your partner’s life, compromise by adding a few pieces of their collection as accessories into your decorating scheme, like in this photo.

Problem: We have small kids and I’m worried about spills on furniture and flooring

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Image by: Style at Home
By: Lauren McPhillips
Source: Janis Nicolay

There are plenty of options available for easy to clean floors – vinyl, tiles, engineered hardwood – and furniture. If you do have fabric chairs, cover them in a durable material.

Problem: Our living room is overrun with kids’ toys

Designate a specific room of the house as a playroom for your kids, housing all of their toys, arts and crafts. If the living room is the hub of the home, keep a small box of toys in there that are allowed in that space but can also be easily be picked up and hidden away.

Problem: The kids love to get creative – with the walls unfortunately

If your child’s budding creativity happens to come out on the walls of their room, encourage them to do so (safely!) by creating a chalkboard wall that gives them a large space to work out their inner Monet.

Problem: My kids come home with artwork from school all the time – how do I display it without making my house look messy?

Proud parents can incorporate their little Picasso’s masterpieces into the existing decor by creating a gallery wall in the hallway or up the stairwell, placing in matching floating frames for a seamless look.

Problem: Our kids love playing in the big backyard of our new house, but there’s no mudroom for them to come in through

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Problem: My child is growing out of her kid-like room. I don’t want to redecorate every time she changes her teenage mind!

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Image by: Style at Home
By: Lauren McPhillips
Source: Ashley Capp

Invest money on big pieces like the bed and desk that you don’t want to change every few years, opting for classic styles that will grow with her. Then let her have fun with the accessories like bedding, wall art and paint colour that won’t cost as much to change up when her taste evolves.